User:Sr10721/Mean world syndrome

Later research
See also: Research on the effects of violence in mass media

Since the 1970s, numerous studies have corroborated Gerbner's findings that moderate-to-heavy viewing of violence-related content on TV increased depression, fear, anxiety, anger, pessimism, post-traumatic stress, and substance use.

In 2009, the American Academy of Pediatrics released a policy statement on media violence which concluded that "extensive research evidence indicates that media violence can contribute to aggressive behavior, desensitization to violence, nightmares, and fear of being harmed."

A study conducted in 2018 by researchers at the University of Oklahoma found that there is "good evidence establishing a relationship between disaster television viewing and various psychological outcomes."

In 2022, another research article was published by students in the Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Early Intervention at the Medical University of Lublin, Poland in which the researchers assessed connections between binge-watching different types of media and sociological phenomena. Researchers found that when binge-watching media, different types of violent media impacted how the viewer saw the world.

COVID-19 and mean world syndrome
In 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the world. With this, individuals were spending more time inside and on social media to be able to connect with others. The action of Doomscrolling became more prevalent and this action exposed individuals to negative news media, leading to signs of anxiety and depression which are signs of Mean World Syndrome. Other social movements like the Black Lives Matter Movement have inspired new studies to be done connecting Mean World Syndrome, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Black Lived Matter Movement. One study done in 2020 found that feelings of anxiety were tied to violent or troublesome news media on the Black Lives Matter movement.